Stargate Atlantis Series 2 - Flat McKay

I’ve been a Stargate fan since the first series (the ninth series is a
‘little’ flat but that’s a different post) and I dutifully watched Atlantis
when it started, and was pretty much disappointed. The plots are mostly from
the early Stargate episodes and the characters are too similar to the
old SG1 team. Except McKay, who I really liked.

Arrogant, cowardly, selfish, brilliant and with a dry, sarcastic wit he
was the reason I managed to hang on for half a series. But then I got
bored. I recently had a chance to watch the second series, up to about a
week ago, and saw a couple of brilliant McKay episodes. In one he gets
“bonded” with a sharp female military operative, in another his arrogance
kills one co-worker and almost kills himself and in a third he’s completely
understood by a brutal prisoner. What do they have in common? They all
explore and challenge the way McKay is and functions. And the long term
effect on the character? It seems like none.

While the other leads are all changing and growing, except Shepherd who
seems destined to be O’Neil light, McKay doesn’t seem to be adapting,
growing or even responding to be handed pretty blatant life changing
events. And that’s a damn waste.